I’m simply amazed how many people carry around a thousand dollar smartphone like the Apple iPhone 6 Plus in their back pocket without any sort of protection. For some, it might be a case of just never getting around to it; others might prefer to show off their fine gadget’s natural beauty and some may simply hate any extra bulkiness an add-on accessory might bring.

But frankly, everyone needs some sort of protection. If that’s the case – pardon the pun, then the Seidio TETRA might just be the solution – a two-part system comprised of an inner gasket and an outer metal frame. It’s not an actual case, but rather a bumper that fits around the perimeter of your smartphone offering protection, for the most part, from many of those angled drops. READ FULL review at G4TV Canada

If you’re looking for a gift for that someone special who seems to have everything, chances are that he or she doesn’t have the Yantouch Diamond+, a 3-in-1 mini entertainment system that’s a sound, light and a sleep/wake device all built-in to a desktop diamond-cut shaped globe. This latest model from the Taiwan based company is a new and much improved follow up to their previous Diamond II and Diamond 3 models.

First of all, Diamond+ get its name from its rounded diamond shape. It’s a 2.1 stereo Bluetooth 3.0 speaker system, that allows you to stream your music wirelessly from various devices including Android and iOS. It can also work in wired mode too. It has a pair of drivers, one on each side and a bass resonance tube to give you bigger sound from the smaller form factor. Built into the globe are eight RGB and two white LED lights that offer illumination that range from a bedside reading white light to a kaleidoscope of over 16 million colours. READ FULL REVIEW at G4TV Canada

Gifts come in all shapes and sizes, but bigger isn’t necessarily better or more desirable. So here are a few gift ideas all of which I had an opportunity to test-drive, that are all much smaller than a bread box and some of which might actually fit in the palm of your hand.

High Fidelity Electronic Earplugs

This first one certainly fits the criteria, but it’s designed for your ears. The Music•Pro High-Fidelty Electronic Musicians Earplugs by Etymotic Research as the name says is ideally suited for musicians, but equally sensible for anyone to find themselves in environments where hearing protection is without trading off sound fidelity, which something like typical passive earplugs can’t accomplish. READ FULL ARTICLE at G4 Canada.

Desk lamps are not typically something in this Gadget Guy’s repertoire or even on my list of tech gifts for under the tree but I was happy to make an exception for the NewerTech NuGreen energy efficient flexible neck LED desk lamp.

The first thing you’ll notice is that it looks pretty cool. It has a flat aluminum base, a bendable 12-inch gooseneck, which allows you to position, it depending on where you need the light and an equally flat disc-shaped head that matches the lamp’s base quite nicely.

What’s even cooler is how it puts out the light. The lamp head features an impressive 50 5mm light emitting diodes (LEDs), producing a very bright (4500K) white light similar to what natural daylight would look like. This makes it ideal for almost any room in the house. It’s not designed to light the whole room, but more in a concentrated area like a desk. Still, you wouldn’t want to switch it on and looked directly at it, as it would be truly blinding. What’s even more amazing is how energy-efficient it is. With all that light it puts out, it only consumes a mere 3.6 W total power and the LEDs remain cool to the touch.

According to the company, the LEDs are designed to last for up to 45,000 hours of use, which they say is up to 22 times longer than a traditional bulb. And they’re eco-friendly too. They contain no mercury and therefore can also be recycled. READ FULL Review at G4TV Canada’s Tech News.

Long before the term was popularized but now abuse, people struggled to find the way to get that perfect “Selfie”. While there have been hardware and app solutions to solve that ultimate puzzle, the Shutter Remote by iStabilizer has come along to give you that wireless proverbial extra long arm that you need, plus more.

Shutter Remote is a pocket sized remote that that not only gives you a wireless Bluetooth remote shutter button, but also a media controller for your music and video, a remote iOS Home/Siri controller and a wireless presenter, good for a range of up to 3 m.

It’s a little thicker, wider and shorter than the Apple Remote, but it still very comfortable to hold and with a lot more functionality. It runs off 2 x CR2025 batteries (large coins cells), so it’s not rechargeable, but the company says they should last up to six months if you use it for about an hour a day.

Its thickness allows for a conveniently located on/off switch on the left side and pairing button on the right. It has a familiar circular media controller, with the “+” (Volume Up) button (or Volume down – not documented), acting as your shutter release for your perfect Selfie. READ FULL REVIEW at G4TV Canada.

I’ve become so used to seeing speakers that are housed in cabinets made with plastic and metal that I almost forgot about speakers that come in wood grained cabinetry just like the ones I got so used to during my formative years. So I was pleasantly surprised when I had an opportunity to test drive one that reminded me of days gone by.

Fluance, a North American based direct-to-market speaker brand, has combined the best of yesterday and today with their high-performance Fi30 speaker system. It features wireless audio streaming via Bluetooth powered by aptX enhanced audio technology incorporated into a solid audio grade MDF wood cabinet.

Although it is wireless, it’s fairly hefty and not really designed to be portable, measuring 16.5″ x 5.5″ x 5.5″ and weighs a whopping 8.3 pounds. There’s no battery option as it runs purely on AC and the kind of device that would not seem out of place on a wall unit or mantle.

Under the hood it has two 3-inch woven glass fibre composite drivers with butyl rubber surrounds. There is no separate bass speaker, but in the rear you’ll find two respectably tuned bass ports that give you just about that you just the right amount of resonance without the need for a subwoofer. READ FULL REVIEW at G4TV Canada

Every once in a while you come across two cool products that are functionally identical but marketed under different brands. Such is the case with the Champ Bodyguard Battery Rechargeable Power Bank and theAR for Her PowerBank with LED flashlight and Panic Alarm, a.k.a the ZipStick. And while these product names seem to be quite a mouthful, they both accomplish the same job appeal to two unique demographics.

They are slim-line battery packs designed to power and charge up 5V USB devices. They have a built-in LED flashlight and a panic alarm that emits a very loud and annoying sound designed to either attract attention or to scare off something or someone. READ FULL REVIEW at G4TV Canada.

Say it quickly and it sounds like you’re saying “freeze frame”, but it’s actually Fritz Frame. It’s a cleverly designed video stabilizer, stand and case that allows you to position your iPhone 5 or 5S virtually any which way, even hang it, so you can do Facetime, watch videos and even take those must-have selfies, totally hands-free.

Frank Mansfeld, Fritz Frame CEO and director, and hisdesigners have exploited almost every viewing angle. Fritz Frame is hinged at the bottom, pivots at the centre and can rotate a full 360 degrees in any direction. Movement is smooth and precise on both the hinge and pivot, each with a six-step stop position.

Fritz Frame is amazingly sturdy, yet light, CNC machined from aircraft grade aluminum. It has a fine finish and even where there are square corners you’ll find them smoothly finished. The attention to detail down to the locking pins and countersink screws, of course, is something you’d expect from German Engineering. READ MORE at G4 TV CANADA

Summertime is a great time to take a portable Bluetooth speaker on the road and the Divoom Voombox Travel is suited just for that purpose. It has a cool round shape similar to that of a giant pocket watch topped with matching loop-style carabineer to conveniently hook it to your backpack, your bike or wherever you see fit.

VoomBox Travel features a sturdy rugged heavy-duty construction, that Divoom’s products are known for, complemented with rubber trim that makes it water resistant. It’s housed in a metal enclosure with speaker grills on both top and bottom with three discrete rubber strips on the underside that act as stabilizing feet.

It measures about 3″ in diameter with a depth of less than 2-inches and weighs in at 312g. It’s onboard controls are located on the rubberized circumference including a microUSB port which can be used for either charging or wired connectivity, which you can expose by simply lifting a small rubber gasket. READ FULL ARTICLE AT G4TV CANADA

If you’re like many who wait for the last minute to find that special gift for that special Dad, or Grand Dad, here are a few ideas especially if he’s a geek – but he doesn’t have to be.

For Dads who love Heavy Duty Wi-Fi

If he’s a real geek and serious Wi-Fi is really important at home, then Dad may enjoy the Linksys WRT 1900AC Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Router. This new router looks like a throwback to the earlier part of the 21st century, but its technology is significantly advanced.